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This chapter discusses the ways in which sounds can specify motion, and the significance of this motion in music. Rather than considering motion in music to be metaphorical in nature, the chapter argues that sounds are capable of perceptually specifying genuine motion, but in a virtual space rather than a real space. This sense of motion is in turn one of the ways in which music brings about a strong sense of subjective identification for a listener, the sense of motion appearing to place the listener in amongst the materials of music. These ideas are illustrated and demonstrated through...

This chapter discusses the ways in which sounds can specify motion, and the significance of this motion in music. Rather than considering motion in music to be metaphorical in nature, the chapter argues that sounds are capable of perceptually specifying genuine motion, but in a virtual space rather than a real space. This sense of motion is in turn one of the ways in which music brings about a strong sense of subjective identification for a listener, the sense of motion appearing to place the listener in amongst the materials of music. These ideas are illustrated and demonstrated through examples taken from pop music (Fatboy Slim), opera (a short section from Berg's Wozzeck), and Classical instrumental music (a passage from a Mozart String Quintet).